NYSTCE School Building Leader (109/110)

1. Question 1 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   Ms. R has just been appointed principal of Harbor View Elementary School. The school's mission statement, written eleven years ago, focuses on "preparing students to pass state tests." Since then, enrollment has changed: 41 percent of students are now multilingual learners, and the district has adopted a strategic plan emphasizing the whole child, college and career readiness, and digital citizenship.

   Fall Climate Survey Excerpt

   Statement	% agree
   I can describe our school's mission in my own words (staff)	22
   The mission reflects what our school values (staff)	35
   I know what the school is trying to achieve for my child (families)	29

   Based on the information provided, which action will be most appropriate for Ms. R to take first to revise the school's mission?
   • A.Ask the school leadership team to choose among three model mission statements from high-performing schools that serve similar student populations
   • B.Form a representative team of staff, families, and students to review school data and gather community input to shape a revised mission statement
   • C.Post the existing mission statement in every classroom and hallway and ask teachers to review it with students during the first week of school
   • D.Draft a revised mission statement that mirrors the district strategic plan and present it to staff for approval at the next faculty meeting
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Form a representative team of staff, families, and students to review school data and gather community input to shape a revised mission statement

   Survey results show that neither staff nor families understand or own the current mission, and the student population has changed substantially. A mission built with representative stakeholders and grounded in school data creates shared ownership. Drafting it alone or borrowing another school's statement repeats the top-down pattern, and posting the old statement does not address its outdated focus.

2. Question 2 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   During a brief walkthrough of Ms. L's grade 4 math class, the principal records the following notes. Ms. L is in her third year of teaching and has asked the principal for feedback on how to increase student participation in math.

   10:05 Learning target posted: Compare fractions using benchmarks. 10:06 Ms. L asks, "Which is greater, 3/8 or 3/5?" Four students raise hands; she calls on one, who answers correctly. 10:08 Ms. L explains the answer and assigns 12 practice problems. 10:12 Of the 6 students the principal asks, 2 can explain how they decide which fraction is greater.

   Which feedback statement to Ms. L will be most useful for improving instruction?
   • A."I suggest that you assign fewer practice problems next time, because twelve problems is too many for one class period in grade 4."
   • B."Your lesson was well organized and the learning target was clearly posted. Keep up the good work on your math instruction this year."
   • C."Student engagement was low during the lesson. You need to use more engaging activities in math so that more students participate."
   • D."Only 2 of 6 students I asked could explain their reasoning. How might you have more students share how they compared 3/8 and 3/5?"
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. "Only 2 of 6 students I asked could explain their reasoning. How might you have more students share how they compared 3/8 and 3/5?"

   Effective walkthrough feedback is specific, grounded in observed evidence, and prompts reflection on student learning. The best statement cites the data on student explanations and invites Ms. L to consider ways to get more students reasoning aloud. General praise and vague judgments about engagement give her nothing actionable, and advice about the number of problems does not address the evidence about student understanding.

3. Question 3 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   Principal S is in her first month at Brookfield High School. The previous principal often asked staff for input but then announced decisions by email without explanation. The staff climate survey from last spring shows the following results.

   Staff Climate Survey (% agree)

   I trust the administration to follow through on commitments	32
   I feel safe raising concerns with administration	28
   My colleagues and I share responsibility for student success	71

   Several teachers tell Principal S privately that they are 'waiting to see if anything changes this time.'

   Which action should Principal S take first to build relational trust with the Brookfield High School staff?
   • A.Lead a schoolwide vision retreat during the first month so that staff can produce a new mission statement and set of core values.
   • B.Share the survey results openly with staff, commit to a small number of visible actions, and report back regularly on follow-through.
   • C.Postpone all decisions and changes until trust improves, avoiding any action that could create disagreement among staff this year.
   • D.Meet individually with staff members to learn which teachers have spread negative views about the previous administration.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Share the survey results openly with staff, commit to a small number of visible actions, and report back regularly on follow-through.

   Trust grows when leaders are transparent and do what they say they will do, so acknowledging the data and showing visible follow-through directly addresses the low ratings. A vision retreat asks for more input from staff who have learned that input goes nowhere. Hunting for critics damages trust, and avoiding all decisions leaves student needs unaddressed.

4. Question 4 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   During a meeting of the attendance committee at Fulton Elementary School, the team reviews data showing that chronic absenteeism is highest among families living in the apartment complex farthest from the school. One veteran teacher says, 'Honestly, those families just don't value education. You can't fix that from here.' Several committee members nod, and others look uncomfortable. The principal knows that the complex is not on a bus route and that many parents in the complex work early shifts.

   Which response by the principal best confronts deficit thinking while maintaining trust?
   • A.Agree that family engagement is part of the problem and ask the committee to plan stronger attendance consequences for families.
   • B.Let the remark pass to avoid conflict during the meeting, then send all staff an email later in the week about respecting families.
   • C.Remove the teacher from the attendance committee immediately and note the remark in the teacher's annual professional evaluation.
   • D.Name the assumption in the moment, redirect the group to likely barriers such as transportation, and follow up privately later.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. Name the assumption in the moment, redirect the group to likely barriers such as transportation, and follow up privately later.

   Leaders confront deficit thinking by naming it promptly and shifting the conversation to evidence about real barriers, here the lack of bus service and parents' work schedules, while preserving the relationship through private follow-up. Letting the remark pass signals agreement to the group. Immediate removal and an evaluation note are punitive and can shut down honest dialogue, and stronger consequences accept the deficit view.

5. Question 5 · Operational Systems, Data Systems and Legal Guidelines

   During third period at Ridgeway High School, Ms. K finds a note on a desk in the handwriting of a student, Tyler, who is still in her class. The note reads: 'Everyone in this class will be sorry on Friday. I know where my uncle keeps his gun.' Ms. K calls the principal immediately. Tyler has no prior discipline record, and Ms. K says he seemed upset after a conflict with classmates earlier in the week. The school has a trained threat assessment team and a district threat assessment protocol.

   What should the principal of Ridgeway High School do first after Ms. K reports Tyler's note?
   • A.Convene the threat assessment team to gather information before involving anyone else
   • B.Ensure immediate safety by removing Tyler from class and contacting law enforcement
   • C.Suspend Tyler under the code of conduct and send him home on the bus right away
   • D.Call Tyler's parents to schedule a meeting about the note later in the school week
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Ensure immediate safety by removing Tyler from class and contacting law enforcement

   The note names a time and mentions access to a firearm, so the first priority is immediate safety: separating the student from others and involving law enforcement, after which the threat assessment team evaluates the situation. Waiting days for a parent meeting or limiting the response to the team ignores imminent danger. Sending Tyler home unsupervised could move him toward the weapon he mentioned.

6. Question 6 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   Bayside High School's school leadership team wants to create a shared vision describing what every graduate should know and be able to do. The district superintendent has asked each high school to align its vision with college and career readiness and student well-being. The principal, Mr. G, has six months for the process. Previous vision work at the school was led by department chairs and was rarely referenced afterward. The leadership team includes teachers, parents, and two student representatives.

   Which process will most likely produce a vision that guides the school's work?
   • A.Gather input from students, families, staff, alumni, and local employers and colleges, then draft and refine the vision with the leadership team
   • B.Have department chairs draft the vision over the summer so it reflects each subject area's expectations for what graduates should know and be able to do
   • C.Hire a consultant to write a vision based on research about successful high schools and present it to the faculty for a vote in the fall
   • D.Adopt the district's college and career readiness statement as the school vision to ensure full alignment with the superintendent's request
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. Gather input from students, families, staff, alumni, and local employers and colleges, then draft and refine the vision with the leadership team

   A vision guides practice when the people it affects help shape it. Engaging students, families, staff, alumni, and local employers and colleges builds a broad, shared understanding of what graduates need, and the leadership team can then refine and align it with district expectations. Repeating the chair-led process or relying on a consultant or district text produces a document without community ownership.

7. Question 7 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   The new principal of Ashford Middle School plans to begin regular classroom walkthroughs. At the first faculty meeting, several teachers express anxiety, asking whether walkthrough notes will be used in their annual evaluations under APPR. The teachers' union representative asks for clarification in writing. Which approach by the principal will best establish a productive walkthrough process?
   • A.Delay walkthroughs until the end of the year, after formal observations are complete, so they do not affect teacher ratings
   • B.Record individual teacher ratings during each walkthrough so that teachers receive frequent feedback on their performance
   • C.Begin unannounced walkthroughs immediately so that teachers become comfortable with frequent visits and their anxiety decreases
   • D.Clarify the nonevaluative purpose and focus, consistent with the contract and APPR plan, and share aggregated patterns with staff
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. Clarify the nonevaluative purpose and focus, consistent with the contract and APPR plan, and share aggregated patterns with staff

   Walkthroughs build trust and improve practice when their purpose is clear, they are used in ways consistent with the collective bargaining agreement and the district's APPR plan, and staff see the aggregated patterns that guide professional learning. Starting immediately without clarity increases anxiety, delaying them loses valuable information, and rating teachers during walkthroughs turns them into informal evaluations.

8. Question 8 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   To add a daily intervention period, Principal F revised the master schedule at Glenwood Middle School over the summer. The change reduced teams' common planning time from five days to three days a week. Teachers learned about the change from an email sent two days before school started. Since then, rumors have spread that more planning time will be cut, and the building's union representative has asked to meet. Intervention data from the first six weeks are promising, but several team leaders say they 'no longer believe input matters here.'

   Which action by Principal F would best rebuild staff trust after the summer change to common planning time?
   • A.Survey staff anonymously to find out which teachers started the rumors, then meet with those teachers individually to address them.
   • B.Reverse the schedule change at once to show staff that their concerns have been heard, even though the intervention data are promising.
   • C.Explain the reasons for the change openly, acknowledge the process misstep, and form a staff group to review planning-time options.
   • D.Restate that scheduling is an administrative decision and ask the union representative to correct the rumors among the staff members.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. Explain the reasons for the change openly, acknowledge the process misstep, and form a staff group to review planning-time options.

   Trust is rebuilt through transparency about the reasons for a decision, honest acknowledgment of a flawed process, and shared problem solving going forward, which also keeps the intervention that is helping students. Reversing the change sacrifices a promising support for students. Asserting authority and searching for the source of rumors deepen mistrust.

9. Question 9 · Mastering the Performance Tasks

   At Union High School, the principal reviews Grade 9 mathematics staffing and results.

   Grade 9 Mathematics

   Course	Teachers assigned	Average teaching experience	Failure rate
   Honors Algebra	3	17 years	2 percent
   Algebra with support period	4	1 year, including 2 long-term substitutes	41 percent

   Students in the support-period sections are mostly multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and students who did not reach proficiency on the Grade 8 state test. Experienced teachers have taught honors sections for many years by long-standing practice.

   Which action regarding Grade 9 mathematics teacher assignments at Union High School best reflects equitable distribution of resources?
   • A.Revise teacher assignments so students with the greatest needs have effective, experienced teachers, with transition support.
   • B.Give the new teachers and substitutes a scripted curriculum to use in the support sections, leaving teacher assignments unchanged.
   • C.Keep current assignments, since experienced teachers have earned the opportunity to teach advanced courses through years of service.
   • D.Add after-school tutoring for students in the support sections, staffed by honors students who volunteer to help as peer tutors.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A. Revise teacher assignments so students with the greatest needs have effective, experienced teachers, with transition support.

   Students with the greatest needs are taught by the least experienced staff and are failing at 41 percent, so equitable resource allocation means assigning effective, experienced teachers where needs are greatest, done thoughtfully and with support. Keeping assignments by seniority practice preserves the inequity. A scripted curriculum and peer tutoring supplement instruction but do not address who teaches the students most in need.

10. Question 10 · Operational Systems, Data Systems and Legal Guidelines

    The head custodian of Brighton Middle School gives the principal the list of open work orders. The custodial staff can complete two of them this week. A parent has also complained about the appearance of the gym bleachers.

    Open Work Orders

    Item	Days open
    Ceiling tiles stained and sagging in Classroom 112	21
    Stairwell B fire door does not latch closed	2
    Peeling paint on gym bleachers	35
    Broken refrigerator in staff lounge	7
    Slow drain in art room sink	14

    Which two open work orders at Brighton Middle School should the custodial staff complete first this week?
    • A.The art room sink and staff refrigerator, since students and staff use them every day
    • B.The Stairwell B fire door and the stained, sagging ceiling tiles in Classroom 112
    • C.The bleacher paint and the ceiling tiles, since those orders have been open the longest
    • D.The bleacher paint and the fire door, since both involve safety in large shared spaces
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B. The Stairwell B fire door and the stained, sagging ceiling tiles in Classroom 112

    A fire door that does not latch defeats fire and smoke separation, and stained, sagging ceiling tiles suggest a leak that can lead to a collapse or mold, so both are health and safety risks. Prioritizing by days open puts cosmetic bleacher paint ahead of a life-safety hazard. The sink and refrigerator are inconveniences rather than safety issues.

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